Dozens of people have gathered at a recreation center in Truckee, the California town where Rodni disappeared, to ask how they can help with the search, according to Cassie Hebel, a friend who spoke to The Daily Beast on behalf of the family. . “I know they’re very grateful,” he said. It’s unclear if Kiely ever returned home from the party at Prosser Family Campground in the early hours of Saturday morning, according to Placer County authorities. She had texted her mother, Lindsey Rodni-Nieman, from the camp saying she would be home soon. “I told her to be safe and that I loved her. And she said, ‘Okay, Mom, I love you too,’” Rodni-Nieman told ABC News on Tuesday. “He never came home.” “It’s surreal, it’s horrible,” David Robertson, Rodney’s grandfather, told KNTV. “You would never think something would happen to you. This only happens on TV” The Prosser Family Campground, where people went hiking or biking, was considered “a safe place. Like a neighborhood backyard,” Rodni-Nieman told The Independent on Thursday. However, the party was much larger than previous gatherings at the camp, with 200 to 300 minors and young adults showing up to dance and socialize, according to local authorities. At a news conference Thursday, the Placer County Sheriff’s Office said more than 500 tips had been called in since Saturday — including from people outside of California — and that investigators were following up on more than 380 clients. Despite a massive effort now involving 16 agencies and federal authorities, according to Capt. Sam Brown of the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office, “we’re still missing evidence.” Brown explained that searchers and volunteers still didn’t have “an exact spot” around which to trace a search radius, which was “unusual, especially with a large object like a car,” namely Rodni’s Silver Honda CRV 2013, which is still missing. “Only” because of the missing vehicle, investigators are treating Kiely’s disappearance as a possible abduction, according to Angela Musallam of the Placer County Sheriff’s Office. Authorities on Thursday also released new images of Kiely, including one taken about a month before she disappeared. In the image, she wore gold necklaces, which police said she is believed to have been wearing on Friday night. The 16-year-old, who sported a number of piercings, including a nose ring, also wore a black bodysuit and green Dickies trousers. She was also reportedly in possession of a gray Lana Del Ray hoodie. The Placer County Sheriff’s Office also praised the community for coming together. It’s that community support that keeps Rodni-Nieman going, according to Cassie Hebel. Particularly “seeming” were the cadres of children Kiely’s age who came looking for her – the “Teen Squad”, as Hebel called them. “It was difficult with them, but they can handle the stress,” he explained. Jagger Westfall, Rodney’s boyfriend, told Fox40 on Thursday that he texted her to “be safe” and “don’t do anything stupid” just before he left for the Prosser Family Campground. “I definitely feel like in this current situation he’s safe,” Westfall said. “I do not know where it is. We have nothing to leave at this time. But, I fully believe she is alive and well.” Others close to Kiely don’t believe she’s gone. Rodni-Nieman told the Independent that there appeared to be “nothing out of the ordinary” with her daughter on the morning of the party. a friend, Kate Cuno, told Fox40 they had made crème brûlée hours before. “Everything was normal,” said the teenager. Hebel told The Beast that there were few concrete details he could share about the ongoing search, but added: “There is hope on the ground and we’re constantly talking about how we want this miracle. But we just keep on going… At some point, right? Every minute.” The Placer County Sheriff’s Office asked anyone with information to contact Detective Stephanie Frykberg at 530-392-5609. call the anonymous tip line at 530-581-6320. or email [email protected]
